Post by David WrightJust an idea about Ryanair - have they not just abolished check-in luggage
in favour of an increased hand-luggage allowance?
Although the rules that have been introduced in such a rush in the last 24
hours are probably a bit over-the-top, I for one hope that they'll keep the
majority of aspects of the ban on hand luggage.
First, getting rid of hand luggage will greatly speed the boarding of
aircraft. It takes bloody ages to get on because as you make your way down
the aisle, you have to wait several times for people while they muck about
trying to get their stuff into the overhead bins. Now, admittedly this is
partly due to the airlines and/or their check-in agents completely failing
to impose the rules on hand luggage sizes and quantities, but even if
everyone does stay within the "one modest-sized bag" restriction, it can be
a bit of a log-jam. I reckon that you could at least halve the boarding time
if you only permit people to take a few bits that will fit into the seat
pocket, leaving only coats/jumpers to go overhead.
Second, and going back partly to the above point, to impose draconian
restrictions on cabin baggage will mean that, at last, we have aircraft
flying around without their overhead bins massively overloaded. The overhead
bins are generally labelled with their maximum weight capacity, yet time and
again I've seen them crammed full with heavy stuff that more than likely
goes over the load limit - thus posing a risk in the event of an
accidentally heavy landing, a crash into flat terrain, etc.
Third, it'll reduce the number of people who have to clamber over me to get
at their luggage yet again. I'm reasonably tall, so I tend to ask for aisle
seats so I can stretch out a bit from time to time. In a wide-body aircraft
this generally means people asking to get past to go to the toilet (fair
enough) and, often, to get yet another item from their bag which they use
for five minutes and then put in the seat pocket (or, worse, back in their
bloody bag!).
I'd have no problems, then, with people being permitted just a book or two,
their travel papers, newspaper, pen, Gameboy or similar, walkman, laptop PC
(maybe), prescription medicine, baby-related stuff and not a lot else.
David C